Eradicating a culture of poverty through Education “ Planting the seed ”

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Eradicating a culture of poverty through Education “ Planting the seed ”

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Definitions For our purpose, poverty means deprivation of basic human needs i.e. food, water, sanitation, shelter, good health and education. Education shall be defined as any experience that shape the way we feel, think and act. Its also a form of learning in which knowledge skills and habits of a people are passed from one generation to the next through teaching, training or research.

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Embu People, statistics County Headquarters: Embu Town County Offices: Embu Municipal Council County Coverage Area: 2,818.04 km² Total Population: 516,212 Male: 254,302 Female: 261,910 Population Density: 183.18 people/km² Total number of Households: 131,683 Total Number of Constituencies: 4 Total Number of County wards: 20 General Information Embu County is located in the former Eastern Kenya. Embu County has an average altitude of 1350 meters above the sea level close to the foot hill of Mt. Kenya. The slopes of the county slopes from west to east, the highest point in the county is at Ruvingaci River. Temperature range between 12 °C to 27 °C. average annual rainfall is 1495mm. Embu County borders Tharaka Nithi County to the North, Kitui County’s to the East, Machakos to the South and Kirinyaga County to the West.

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The school St Mary’s is a mixed day primary school that was begun in 2000 by Consolata missionaries in Karaba-Wango parish in Embu diocese. The missionaries later handed the school to the Diocese of Embu. Over the years, the school has received support from AVI in Italy but sponsorship ended in 2011. St Mary’s primary is located in Embu county, Mbeere south district. It is 5 minutes walk from the nearest town center- Makutano. Currently, the school has a population of 220 students drawn from 3 neighboring counties- Embu, Kirinyaga and Muran’ga. St Mary’s was begun by the missionaries for the sole purpose of eradicating high levels of illiteracy and to empower the communities through child education. There was and still is high immorality in the area and the school was and is still considered a safe shelter for the children. The school is in a semi-arid region. Most parents are peasant farmers living from hand to mouth. Other parents are identified as sex workers with a high risk for HIV. Makutano is a major truck stop serving many towns in the eastern part of Kenya. On realization that children in the area were academically talented despite their impoverished/low socioeconomic status, St Mary’s sought to identify, recruit and nurture talent thus helping children and the community realize their potential through learning.

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The school cont… The school year runs from January to December. Students are in school for 3 months consecutively and break for a month. Specifically, school runs from January to March, May through July and August to November. Kenya School System Pre-school (Nursery School at age 6} Elementary School : Class 1 through 8 High School: Form 1 through Form 4 Four Year University : Year 1 through 4 or 2 Year College or 1 Year trade school. St. Mary’s admits students from Class 1 through Class 8. Teachers are hired by a local committee chaired by the parish priest. They are well trained in the country’s state and private colleges and meet government minimum hiring standards. Education delivery is very competitive. A local committee oversees the quality of education and is in charge of hiring and firing staff based on performance. Teacher student ratio is 1;30 students. This is comparable to nationwide standards. During school hours, students are fed by the school. The church community and part of tuition and fees goes to this effort. The school has affiliated itself with the best performing private schools in the district and students get to compete in End Grade Tests raising the bar for academic success.

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John Katiku Class 7 student residing in Karuku a distance of approximately 2 miles from the school. John is an orphan and is raised by his grandmother. He lost both parents to HIV/AIDS per the head teachers’ report. Report further states that he is highly disciplined, self driven individual. He is considered a very promising student with good learning exposure/resources. John is a good volley ball player. John would like to be a pilot or a doctor 2013 Academic Performance Term 1: 304 marks out of 500 Term 2: 358 marks out of 500 Term 3: 304 marks out of 500

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Kelvin Gituto Class 6 student residing in Kirwara area approximately 7 miles from the school. Kelvin is raised by a single mother with meager means. Head teacher considers him bright, self driven with a promising future if academic resources are provided. He enjoys playing soccer. Kevin would like to be a pilot or join the navy. 2013 Academic Performance Term 1: 364 marks out of 500 Term 2: 319 marks out of 500 Term 3: 348 marks out of 500

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Francis kimani Francis Kimani Class 3 student residing in Kirwara approximately 4 miles from the school. Francis is an academically gifted child despite being abandoned by both biological parents. He is raised by his grandmother of meager means but continues to show exemplary performance. Francis would like to be a pilot 2013 Academic Performance Term 1: 443 marks out of 500 Term 2: 434 marks out of 500 Term 3: 465 marks out of 500

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Mark Njeru Class 7 student residing in Kamweli a distance of 8 km (approximately 4 miles) to school. Mark comes from a very needy family which limits education access. Father is reported sickly. The head teacher reports that he is bright, hardworking and a performer in class despite many school absences. Mark could do better academically if he stayed in school. He plays soccer Mark would like to be a pilot or a computer engineer 2013 Academic performance Term 1: 323 marks out of 500 Term 2: 314 marks out of 500 Term 3: 337 marks out of 500

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Ephraihm Mutwiri Class 1 student residing in Karuku which is approximately a mile from school. Ephraihm was abandoned by his biological parents and is raised by his grandmother of meager means. According to the head teachers’ report, being raised by grandma has impacted his performance with many absences from school due to lack of tuition. He is considered humble and with great potential. Ephraihm would like to be a doctor 2013 Academic Performance Term 1: 342 marks out of 500 Term 2: 382 marks out of 500 Term 3: 347 marks out of 500

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Rachel Njeri Class 6 student residing 4 miles from the school. Rachel is an orphan. Head teacher reports both parents succumbed to the AIDS virus. She is raised by her grandmother and is considered one of the best students in her class. Rachel would like to be a lawyer in future. Academic Performance Term 1: 362 marks out of 500 Term 2: 364 marks out of 500 Term 3: 391 marks out of 500

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Eunice Njeri Class 5 student from a single family residing in Rukanga approximately 5 miles from the school. Mother is reported to suffer epilepsy and is a peasant farmer. Eunice is raised by her grandmother. Head teacher considers her gifted despite grandmother’s inability to support her education. Academic Performance Term 1: 387 marks out of 500 Term 2: 401 marks out of 500 Term 3: 420 marks out of 500

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Budget and Accountability The cost of tuition and fees per student is Kshs 15,000 ($177) per year All the students on profile are day scholars. This means that they operate from their homes making education affordable for most parents in the region. The students we screened have difficulty accessing education despite the cost savings of day schooling. As such, tuition and fees can be paid per term or semester. Accountability The catholic church is a very credible and socially uplifting institution specifically in this region. The church constructed the school, pays the human resource personnel, has a system in place for donations and has many development projects including a health clinic in the community. A committee runs the school and can be reached at any time by anyone during office hours. We picked education because tuition costs are definite and public information. If you purpose to sponsor a student, you “pay tuition” by wire transfer to the school account on behalf of the student. As a donor, you are linked with the principal of the school, education committee, parents and students Donors are encouraged to develop a nurturing relationship with recipients and educational partners. Think about it: Every educated person is not rich, but almost every educated person has a job and a way out of poverty. So education is a fundamental solution to poverty. -- Governor Kathleen Blanco